Sign up for Horizons' river alert system to help you manage your flood risk

Horizons Regional Council is reminding those who live close to rivers and streams to sign up to their river alert system as a way to help manage their flood risk.

The river alert system is a free service which notifies you via phone call when river or stream levels reach a certain height at a particular site, helping you decide when to take action to protect your assets and property.
 
Horizons manager emergency management Ian Lowe says now is a great time to sign up to the system as a way to prepare for the winter weather that may come.
 
“Winter has arrived, and in addition to the effects of climate change on weather patterns, flooding is becoming more frequent and severe in many areas of our region,” says Mr Lowe.
 
“The river alert system is one tool people can use to be prepared for when heavy rain and flooding hits.
 
“Already being prepared and having plans in place is key to protecting yourself, your whānau and your property.
 
“This means having a plan for what to do if an emergency strikes, staying tuned in for weather warnings, and following the Civil Defence Manawatū Whanganui Facebook page for updates.
 
“Make sure you also keep up to date with your nearest city or district council social media channels, as they will also be issuing information on local issues when needed.”
 
Horizons manager information management Sean Hodges explains how the service works and why it can be useful for many in our region.
 
“Horizons has sensors in place at key stream and river sites to monitor water levels.
When you sign up to the service, you can choose any number of these sites and indicate which level or levels you would like to be alerted at,” says Mr Hodges.
 
“When water levels at a site reach the indicated level, the automated system sends you a phone call alert. This makes the system a particularly effective way of managing your flood risk in emergency and flash flood situations when time is critical.
 
“Anyone is able to sign up to the service, which can be found on our website at horizons.govt.nz. These alerts happen automatically, so you may receive an alert if river levels rise in the middle of the night.
 
“Because of this, we recommend the service most to those who have assets or property located nearby a river or stream, and would benefit from immediate notifications so they are able to take action quickly to protect those assets.
 
“If you don’t need these kinds of alerts but still wish to check rainfall and river levels at particular sites, this data is available at any time on our website under the Flood and Emergency Management section, or via our 24-hour Waterline number at 0508 4 FLOOD (0508 435 663). These channels also offer helpful data on groundwater, soil moisture, turbidity and water temperature at key sites,” he says.
 
“The system currently sends out phone call notifications as this is the simplest and most guaranteed way to track success of the system and ensure our users are receiving the information. We are looking into alternative means for delivering these notifications to perhaps update the system in the future.”
 
Those who are already signed up to the service can expect a physical mail out in their letterbox soon, which will ask if your contact details are correct and whether you wish to amend any of the sites and levels you are currently signed up to receive notifications for.
 
For more information about the River Alert System, please visit
https://www.horizons.govt.nz/flood-emergency-management/river-alert-system
 
To sign up for Horizons’ automated River Alert System, please visit
https://envirodata.horizons.govt.nz/river-alert-system
 
Up-to-date information on river heights and rainfall is available 24/7 via Horizons’ Waterline number on 0508 4 FLOOD, or on our website at https://envirodata.horizons.govt.nz/